World Cup 2019: 5 players who can break Rohit Sharma’s world record 264

The wait is almost over, with the ICC World Cup set to begin on June 30 at the Oval as England welcomes South Africa for the tournament opener. Teams are in full swing with the preparations and warmup fixtures have come to a close on Tuesday.

Based on what we have witnessed in the past few days, most pitches in England are batting friendly and scores of 300+ are the norms. Given the conditions, numerous batting records are set to be broken in England this summer.

On November 2014, Rohit Sharma amassed 264 off 173 balls against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The record for the highest individual score in ODIs stood for almost five years. However, there is a real possibility that this record could be broken in the 2019 World Cup.

In that case, let’s take a look at 5 players who can break Rohit Sharma’s World Record score of 264.

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#5 Jason Roy, England

England v Afghanistan – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

One of England’s belligerent hard hitting batsmen, Jason Roy has made a name for himself in the past couple of years with his brilliant stroke play. Roy has played quite a few blistering knocks for England and his best (180) came against Australia at Melbourne in 2018.

Capable of scoring runs quickly, the 28-year-old’s ODI strike rate is 106.29 with eight hundreds in just 74 innings. He has been in stunning form coming into the tournament, with scores of 89*, 32, 114, 76, 87, and 35*.

Opening the batting, Jason Roy has every chance to settle in and play a big knock. On his day, the England opener can destroy any bowling attack in the world and is capable of winning games single-handedly. A player to watch for in the tournament.

#4 Martin Guptill, New Zealand

Martin Guptill in action, New Zealand v Bangladesh - ODI Game 3

The Kiwi opener is only behind Rohit Sharma in the list of highest ODI individual scorers. Known for his big hundreds, Martin Guptill has played some scintillating ODI knocks for New Zealand in his illustrious career.

Guptill scored a whirlwind 237* in a One Day International against West Indies at Wellington in 2015, which is the highest score by a player in World Cup history. Though he isn’t at his best right now, he is a player for the big stage and there is none bigger than the World Cup.

Guptill has struck three knocks of 180 or more in ODIs so far and all of them came against big opponents, which also included a 189* against England at Southampton in 2013. Kiwis chances in the tournament depend a lot on Guptill‘s form with the bat.

#3 David Warner, Australia

David Warner, England v Australia – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

David Warner is back with a bang. The southpaw missed the majority of 2018 after he was slapped with a 12-month ban for being a part of the infamous ball-tampering saga in early 2018. He returned to competitive cricket in IPL 2019 and was brilliant throughout the tournament in India.

Warner has a penchant for big scores and has already struck five scores of 150+ in One Day Internationals so far. The 32-year-old scored 179 against Pakistan at Adelaide in 2017 and 178 against Afghanistan at Perth in 2015 during a World Cup game.

The former Australian vice-captain has scored 14 hundreds in just 104 ODI innings and Australia’s fortunes at the World Cup depend a lot on Warner providing good starts at the top of the order. Expect Warner to destroy bowlers in England this summer.

#2 Chris Gayle, West Indies

West Indies v New Zealand – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

This man needs no introduction when it comes to big scores and big sixes. The Jamaican superstar, nicknamed ‘Universe Boss’, is arguably the most destructive top order batsman in world cricket at the moment. Though he is nearing 40, he still has that power and aggression in his batting.

Chris Gayle has scored 25 hundreds in ODI cricket and five of them are over 150. The 39-year-old is one of the very few players to score a double hundred at the World Cup. Gayle struck a brilliant 215 against Zimbabwe at Canberra in 2015, which is his highest ODI score until now.

Coming into the tournament, the opener was in good form during IPL 2019 and also for West Indies. He recently scored a stunning 162 off 97 balls against England at Grenada. Playing in his last big tournament, Gayle would want to sign off in a big way.

#1 Jonny Bairstow, England

Jonny Bairstow is in great form, England v Afghanistan – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

Jonny Bairstow’s rise in ODI cricket over the past couple of years has been a phenomenal story. The 29-year-old has played some scintillating knocks for England in the recent past and has been a key figure in England's ODI and T20I success.

A player with a vast array of strokes in his arsenal, Bairstow showed his hitting abilities during the Indian Premier League in April and also for England in limited-overs cricket. His strike rate in ODIs is 107, which says a lot about his aggressive mentality and approach.

He has scored seven hundreds in just 57 innings with the highest score being 147*. Capable of playing long innings, Bairstow could be one of the important players for England this summer. He plays fearless cricket and has a huge chance to break Rohit Sharma’s record.